Police attack in Sabarimala: Ayyappa devotee hospitalised with serious injuries

Police unleashed atrocities against the devotees in Sabarimala Sannidhanam on Monday night, March 18. Now, Sabarimala Karma Samithi worker Ganesh has been hospitalised with serious injuries and internal shocks. He was allegedly beaten and kicked by Sujithkumar IPS, SP-in-charge of Shabarimala. A case has been registered against 18 Karma Samiti workers for protesting against the violation of temple tradition with the connivance of the police.

Ganesh was tortured for checking the age of six women belonging to a band of devotees who came from Andhra Pradesh in a bus. They had covered their face with dark cloth. The devotees had their own suspicions about the age of the ladies. Apparently they were reported to have carried fake ID cards which presented them as women past 50.

When questioned they reportedly admitted that their tour operators gave them fake ID cards. The tour operators instructed them to say their age as 50 plus, if at all somebody questions them! But, as the devotees stopped them and checked their age, they left without proceeding to the temple.

While devotees were checking the ID cards to find out the age of the women, SP-in-charge started to beat and kick Ganesh. He was left unconscious, but the police left the place sans providing any medical help. And, his fellow devotees took him to the hospital. The day of merciless police attack coincided with the Kerala High Court’s slam against the state police for developing cold feet in the investigation into the destruction of Shabarimala devotees’ vehicles by the police during Mandalam season. The visual of that uncivilised police action had been telecast by Janam TV for several days.

There are reports that the “stopped” women admitted, police collected the complaint from them, by force, against the devotees.

Since the shrine was opened few days before, a lot of ‘devotees’ have been coming to Sabarimala without carrying irumudikettu, an essential gear of coconut, rice, ghee, etc, one has to head-carry while going to hill temple.